Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: The Ben Shapiro Show

Episode: Young Washington Movie Review
Date: July 18, 2026
Host: Ben Shapiro

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ben Shapiro reviews the new historical film Young Washington, produced by Angel Studios. The movie explores George Washington’s formative years, depicting his experiences prior to the French and Indian War and leading up to his eventual role as an American revolutionary figure. Shapiro discusses the film’s historical accuracy, cinematic qualities, performances, and its broader cultural significance, especially in the context of conservative filmmaking.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unexplored History: Young George Washington

[02:37] Shapiro opens his review by noting that the film covers the largely overlooked period of Washington’s youth, from childhood until he is appointed to office in the British military, just before the French and Indian War.
Discussion:
- The film focuses on Washington’s attempts to navigate and rise within the British colonial system, only to realize its inherent corruption and limits for colonials.
- “One of the fascinating things that the movie does is it gives you a whole arc of George Washington still believing in the system constructed by the British, trying to fight on behalf of that system... and gradually realizing that no matter how hard he fights inside... he is never going to get where he needs to go because that system is in fact, inherently corrupt.” (Ben Shapiro, 03:25)

2. Cinematic and Production Qualities

[04:15] The film is praised for its production value and cinematography:
- “The highlight of this movie is just the way in which it’s shot. This movie looks like all the money is on the screen, as they say in the trade.” (Ben Shapiro, 04:18)
- The director, John Irwin, and DP capture the landscapes and period details beautifully, particularly scenes set in the Ohio backwoods and the construction of Fort Necessity.
- The set pieces and costuming are notable for their authenticity.

3. Notable Performances

[04:42] Cast highlights:
- William Franklin Miller portrays young George Washington, balancing youthful ambition with the traits of the iconic statesman.
- “He’s great in the role...he sort of has to both be the George Washington we know...but he also has to be conflicted.” (Ben Shapiro, 04:50)
- Kelsey Grammer comes in as Lord Fairfax, Ben Kingsley as Governor Robert Dinwiddie, and Andy Serkis as General Braddock.
- The presence of high-profile actors marks a step forward for conservative-leaning cinema.

4. Historical Context and Accuracy

[06:03] Shapiro explains the movie’s connection to larger historical events:
- Accurate depiction of the Fort Necessity debacle, leading to the outbreak of the French and Indian War.
- “You actually get to see him build Fort Necessity in the wrong place. Again, the story is that he built the fort in the wrong place and then the fort was overrun. And because of that, it touched off a broader conflict...” (Ben Shapiro, 06:21)
- The film ends in August 1755, setting up a likely sequel covering Washington’s role in the Revolution.

5. Conservative Filmmaking & Cultural Significance

[06:50] Shapiro frames Young Washington as evidence of a new wave of serious, quality conservative filmmaking:
- Praises Angel Studios for producing “conservative leaning without being overtly conservative” films.
- “You could come away from this movie with zero sort of political take, which I think is the nice thing about it. And it does portray George Washington as a human. That’s rare.” (Ben Shapiro, 07:34)

6. Portraying Washington as Human

[07:52] The film avoids mythologizing Washington:
- Instead, it shows him as passionate, flawed, and ambitious.
- References to the influence of works like Mel Gibson’s The Patriot and HBO’s John Adams series.

7. Themes of Class and Ambition

[09:41] Discussion of the British class system’s effect on Washington:
- “Some of the overt messages of the film—that sort of the class-based society of Britain was not well adapted to the United States, that the United States was different.”
- Connects Washington’s ambition and the colonial struggle to ideas articulated by Alexis de Tocqueville and Edmund Burke.

8. Broader Message and Call to Action

[12:22] Shapiro addresses the need to support films with historical seriousness:
- Encourages listeners to see Young Washington in theaters to ensure continued releases of similar films.
- “At the end of the day, what gets made next depends on what audiences choose to support today.” (Ben Shapiro, 12:37)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the film’s arc and Washington’s growth:
- “He’s constantly struggling against the fact that he can’t get a commission in the actual British army because he’s a colonial. The hatred between the British and the colonials is already manifesting itself.” (Ben Shapiro, 10:25)
On historical films and audience responsibility:
- “If we actually want better entertainment, audiences have to reward the people who go and make it.” (Ben Shapiro, 12:05)
On the film’s depiction of founding values:
- “Being a British citizen with all the rights that pertain thereto, and having those rights rejected because you were a colonial, that was the basis of the American Revolution...and it is correctly portrayed here on the screen.” (Ben Shapiro, 11:41)

Timestamps for Important Segments

[02:37] - Introduction to Young Washington and overview of the film’s premise
[04:15] - Discussion of cinematography and film style
[04:42] - Praise for cast performances
[06:03] - Fort Necessity and historical impact
[06:50] - Conservative filmmaking and Angel Studios
[07:52] - Depiction of Washington’s humanity
[09:41] - Themes: class, ambition, and British colonial system
[12:22] - Call for audience support and importance of historical filmmaking

Summary

Ben Shapiro’s review of Young Washington highlights the film as a watershed for historical and conservative-leaning cinema—one that combines strong storytelling, production values, and a humanizing portrayal of George Washington’s early challenges. He underscores that while the film has a pro-American focus, it is neither heavy-handed politically nor inaccessible to a broader audience. Shapiro encourages listeners to support such films, arguing that market demand is the key to more serious, high-quality storytelling about America’s past.

For those interested in American history, early Washington, or the future of quality filmmaking outside the Hollywood mainstream, this episode offers a thoughtful and engaging critique.

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Transcript5 lines

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[02:38]
A
Well, folks, today we are going to be reviewing Young Washington, the surprise hit from Angel Studios. Of course, it is the story of George Washington well before he is the George Washington you knew. We're going to review it today. Alrighty. So Young Washington is the story of George Washington, essentially, from the time he's a child up until he is appointed to an office inside the British military, like leading up to the French and Indian War. Because when it. When it came to George Washington, a huge part of his story that is totally untold is that earlier part of his life. And this is kind of made in the mold of classic cinema. The director is John Irwin. He does a really good job with the material. William Franklin Miller, who I'd never seen in anything, plays George Washington. And he's great in the role because he sort of has to both be the George Washington we know. You know, the guy who chops down the cherry tree, but is honest about it, but he also has to be conflicted. I think one of the fascinating things that the movie does is it gives you a whole arc of George Washington still believing in the system constructed by the British, trying to fight on behalf of that system, trying to rise in that system, and gradually realizing that no matter how hard he fights inside, sort of the British class system, he is never going to get where he needs to go because that system is in fact, inherently corrupt. The movie is very true to life. It is very true to the story. And I will say that I think that the highlight of this movie is just the way in which it's shot. This movie looks like all the money is on the screen, as they say in the trade. The director of photography, the dp, does a wonderful job with this material. When you are out in the backwoods of Ohio, it looks like the backwoods of Ohio when they built Fort Necessity. We've always heard that he built it in the wrong place. You actually get to see him build Fort Necessity in the wrong place. Again, the story is that he built the fort in the wrong place and then the fort was overrun. And because of that, it touched off a broader conflict between the French and the British. That ended up initiating the French Indian War. That, of course ended with the British winning, but it also ended up with the Americans being essentially taxed for the privilege of the British winning. And that led to the American Revolution. So this movie is planting the seeds. Apparently there is going to be a sequel. The cast is fun because you get some surprises. People who you recognize. Kelsey Grammer shows up as Lord Fairfax. And you have Ben Kingsley, who's one of my personal favorites, showing up as Robert Dinwiddie, who is the local governor. You have Andy Serkis showing up as General Braddock. So actual real names in this cast. And this is a step beyond, I think, where conservative filmmaking has gone before to have, like actual real names with real profiles, making movies, real budget. The budget on this film is something like $20 million. It made 20 million bucks. It's opening weekend, something in that neighborhood. Angel Studios is doing an amazing job, honestly, of producing film that is sort of conservative leaning without being overtly conservative to the point where nobody who is moderate or left wing could ever watch this movie. You could come away from this movie with zero sort of political take, which I think is the nice thing about it. And it does portray George Washington as a human. That's rare, right? Normally when we think of George Washington, we tend to think of George Washington as, you know, the guy on the dollar bill. He's kind of this distant figure. But here you get young George Washington, which means that he's passionate, it means that he's vibrant, it means that he makes mistakes, it means that he gets angry. And all of that is kind of great. It has some touches of Mel Gibson's Patriot. It has the feel at times of a John Adams series on hbo. Again, the performance is universally good. The script, I think, is quite strong, particularly given the fact that it's taking up a piece of history that you didn't know before. Again, the look of the movie is just great. This review is brought to you by our friends over at angel, the studio behind Young Washington. One thing I've said for years is that if we actually want better entertainment, audiences have to reward the people who go and make it. It's not enough to complain about Hollywood. We have to support the studios that actually invest in stories that take history seriously and respect their audiences and compete on quality. And that's something that I really like about Young Washington. Again, this is not a small project. It's a serious historical film with impressive production value, an excellent cast, including people like Andy Serkis. You know him from Lord of the Rings or Kelsey Grammer and of course, Ben Kingsley, who's one of my personal favorites. That's ambitious and I'd like to see more of it in the entertainment industry. Hell, we're doing some of it right here at Daily Wire. At the end of the day, what gets made next depends on what audiences choose to support today. So if you want to see more films that treat America's history with seriousness and are willing to compete at a high level, go check out Young Washington in theaters this weekend. Movies, by the way, don't stay in the theaters forever. If you want to see films like this, continue to get theatrical releases, you have to show up while they are on the big screen. So get your tickets today@angel.com Shapiro that's angel.com Shapiro now back to the review. I mean, the movie is obviously very pro American and it starts to drive the wedge between the Americans and the British, which I assume is going to. What the sequel is about is the actual period from August 1755, which is when the movie ends forward through the revolution. I hope they turn this into a full series. I hope this is not just a movie and a sequel or even a threequel. There's a lot to George Washington. You could easily turn this into a successful series of films to take you through George Washington's life, one of the most cinematic lives in the history of the United States, obviously. And if you can make a good movie out of, you know, basically the period of life between George Washington being a surveyor and George Washington in that sort of famous scene having a couple of horses shot out from under him and bullets flying through his coat. And that led people to believe that providence had sort of touched him. If you can make that part the core of your, of your beginning, then it gives you a lot of room to run. And some of the overt messages of the film that sort of the class based society of Britain was not well adapted to the United States, that the United States was different. This of course is an argument that's made by Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America, is that the broad span of the wilderness in the United States made it so that people thirsted for more. That George Washington is not born noble, he wasn't born poor, but he also wasn't born into sort of the noble class. And because of that he always has this burning yearn to rise, a burning sense of ambition. And that ambition is thwarted by a system that keeps you down unless you are born into the right family. And so he's constantly struggling against the fact that that he can't get a commission in the actual British army because he's a colonial. The hatred between the British and the colonials is already manifesting itself. You get some of his love life. This is before you meet Martha Custis Washington. So this is very early on when he was trying to romance the daughter of sort of a noble, linked family next door, Sally Carey. And you get his feelings of dispossession. And when you see these people as full scale characters, you realize the heroism in what they're doing and also the sort of moral complexity of it. And remember, everybody who's an American had grown up as a British citizen. And so being a British citizen with all the rights that pertain thereto, and having those rights rejected because you were a colonial, that was the basis of the American Revolution. This is the case that Edmund Byrd made about the American Revolution is that it wasn't a French Revolution rooted in sort of a view of natural right as much as it was a combination of historic British rights that were not being upheld by the British Crown and the belief that those rights adhered to individuals because you're made in the image of God. And that's Edmund Burke's case. And it is correctly portrayed here on the screen. Alrighty, folks. So if you have not seen young Washington yet, you should actually get to the theater with friends and go check it out. It is pretty.